Bidspirit auction | Mashmia Yeshuah, by Don Isaac

Mashmia Yeshuah, by Don Isaac Abarbanel. Amsterdam, 1644. - Sefer Mashmia Yeshuah, a commentary on the biblical prophecies concerning the Redemption, by Rabbi Don Isaac Abarbanel. Amsterdam, 1644. Printed by Emanuel Benveniste. 83, [1] leaves. 20.7 cm. Minister Don Isaac Abarbanel (c. 1437–1508) was one of the foremost Jewish leaders of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and one of the greatest biblical commentators of all time. He also served as Minister of Finance to the kingdoms of Portugal, Castile, Aragon, and Naples. Abarbanel made determined efforts to persuade King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to revoke the Edict of Expulsion from Spain, but without success. He chose to leave Spain together with his fellow Jews, refusing the king's and queen's repeated appeals for him to remain despite their great admiration for his exceptional abilities. Throughout his life he endured repeated exile and the confiscation of his property on several occasions. He died in Venice, where he had traveled to mediate a dispute between Portuguese Jewish merchants and the city's authorities, and was buried in Padua.